Vaibhav Sooryavanshi spared, but Vishen Halambage, who fought with Indian teen, pays for his actions

BCCI chose to move on from the controversy, while Sri Lanka Cricket acted against the player who repeatedly taunted Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

While social media refused to spare Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after his ugly spat with Sri Lanka A players in Dambulla on Monday, moments after India A's Super Over defeat, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chose to move on from the controversy. The approach contrasts sharply with that of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), which has reportedly acted against the player who repeatedly taunted Sooryavanshi across two matches in the ongoing tri-nation one-day series.

India's Vaibhav Sooryavanshi during an ODI cricket match between India-A and Sri Lanka-A, in Dambulla, Sri Lanka (SLC)

Speculation had swirled that the BCCI would issue a warning to the 15-year-old after he became involved in a physical altercation at the end of the match. But BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed any such move.

"We will let our players concentrate on the tournament, and they should not be distracted by any collateral issues," Saikia told Sportstar.

SLC acts against Halambage

The development came amid a Cricbuzz report that SLC had cracked the whip on Vishen Halambage, who was at the centre of the controversy. According to the report, Halambage had repeatedly sledged Sooryavanshi during Monday's match and had also targeted him in their earlier meeting on June 9 at the same venue.

Interestingly, Sri Lanka A wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, who intervened to separate Sooryavanshi and Halambage during the confrontation, was also fined. However, the report clarified that Dickwella's sanction related to a separate offence and was not directly connected to the altercation.

What led to the flashpoint?

Earlier reports had claimed that Halambage began trying to get under Sooryavanshi's skin from the June 9 game itself and intensified the sledging on Monday, particularly when the Indian opener walked out to bat in the Super Over.

"Go home, this is not the IPL," was among the remarks allegedly directed at Sooryavanshi.

Cricbuzz also reported that several members of the Sri Lanka A camp were unhappy that the post-match scenes had overshadowed their dramatic victory over India A. Whether any formal apology was eventually conveyed to the Indian team remains unclear.